


Missing Home

by Starlee



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Colleen Holt mentioned, Cuddling, F/M, Fluffiness, Matt Holt mentioned - Freeform, Pidge | Katie Holt-centric, Sad Pidge | Katie Holt, Sam Holt mentioned - Freeform, lance is a good friend, lance realizes he likes pidge, pidge x lance, plance, plance cuddles, plance is adorable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2020-01-16 08:24:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18517633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starlee/pseuds/Starlee
Summary: If there’s one thing that Pidge and Lance have in common, it’s that the ache of missing their families is just as strong as their will to find them again.Aka: The one where Lance and Pidge discover the other crying and find comfort in each other





	1. Chapter 1

Pidge’s face was wet as she buried her head into her tear-stained pillow, desperately trying to isolate the dark thoughts that kept wanting to invade her mind. Green’s presence helped, the constant purr coming through their bond dulling the ache, but it did nothing to chase them away.

            She’d had nights like this before- some were better, some were worse. Before Kerberos, Pidge would stay up late just to spite her mom, but then it evolved into a deep depression that she couldn’t escape.

            Pidge could tell her mom was fighting it too. The Holts were tough, and when the going gets tough, the tough tries to hide it. But as her mother and her grew further and further apart, Pidge started caring less and less as her determination to get her family back grew.

            Tears pooled in dim amber eyes. She’d just left her. Her father had told her to look after her mom, and she just left. No word… nothing. Did she even know that she was missing? That she was gone? Did she think that Pidge abandoned her?

            Her mother wasn’t the only ache in her heart that she longed for. Her father and brother were gone- captured by the Galra empire. Looking for them was beginning to get tiresome, every single lead that she uncovered was a dead end. Shiro’s arrival on Earth had been a sign of hope for her; that maybe that meant her family was okay too. But there was no way of knowing.

            What if she was on a wild goose chase, searching for something that didn’t even exist anymore? What if they were gone, and she was too late to save them? She should’ve left Voltron when she had the chance, then maybe _they’d_ have had a chance. Why couldn’t she do anything right? Why was she so useless?

            The tears began pouring down her face as she choked down a sob, and Pidge squeezed her grip on the pillow even tighter, longing for the emotional toll to drag her down to sleep.

            There were a few moments of silence, before a soft creaking noise broke through the silence and a trickle of light entered the room. “… Pidge,” A voice whispered. “Pidge? You awake?”

            Pidge was tempted to throw a pillow at whoever was trying to sneak into her room, but she didn’t want to lift her head from it. Instead, she turned and pried her tired eyes open. The tears and sudden light in her eyes blurred her vision. A figure was being shadowed by the light coming through the door, crouching ever so slightly as if it was peering over her. Through the darkness, she could just make out a pair of ocean eyes and pajamas that matched them.

            “Lance?” Pidge croaked. “Wh-what’re you doin’ in my room?”

            “I… couldn’t sleep,” He admitted, relaxing his stance now that she was awake. “I came in here to borrow your headphones so I could- are you… crying?”

            Pidge made a pouting sound and retreated back into her pillow, sniffling. Lance was stunned; he’d never seen her look so upset before. Sure, there’d been times when he would catch her looking sadly at the picture of her and her brother, or staring off into space (no pun intended), but she would never be crying.

            She was so vulnerable in this moment, and Lance’s heart hurt at the sound of her sobs. She’d never opened to him like this before, so he wasn’t entirely sure how to react. He warily sat down on her bed and placed a hand on her shaking shoulder. “Hey… you okay?”

            Lance had expected no reply, but what he didn’t expect was the crushing hug from such a small girl. Her arms wrapped tightly around his waist as she buried her face into his chest. His expression softened, and he wrapped his arms gently around her, rubbing circles into her back

            She spent a good while like that, sobbing into his chest, until she finally collected herself. She wiped her eyes, and sat up, turning her head away from him like she was embarrassed. “‘M sorry…” She mumbled. “I- I just needed-”

            “It’s okay,” Lance said immediately. “You don’t need to apologize.”

            “Y-you wanted my headphones, right? For music? Th-they’re on my desk.”

            Lance looked to where she directed, and there they were, but Lance wasn’t about to make off with them yet. “Look… Pidge. It’s… okay to miss them. You don’t have to hide it.”

            Pidge scoffed lightly. “Hypocrite.”

            “I am not-”

            “That’s why you want my headphones, isn’t it? I noticed you only wear them on certain nights… you miss your family too.”

            Pidge always stood out to Lance as someone who didn’t really understand people and emotions very well. That much was made clear during their times spent together at the Garrison. Only, she was also a scientist, and scientists had an uncanny ability to be very observant. The fact that she picked up that he listened to music on nights where he missed Earth so much that it kept it up at night was surprising to him.

            “I… yeah,” He said. “I mean, space is cool and all, and Blue is great, but it’s not the same as home.”

            “I think about my mom a lot,” Pidge said softly, eyes examining the soft fabric of the blanket. “I left her. I didn’t even say goodbye, and now I might never see her again.”

            Lance reached up to brush a loose, messy strand of hair behind her ear, and at the movement, her eyes drifted back up to meet his; warm, gentle eyes rivalled with a brilliant, fierce glow beneath. Her honey blonde hair flipped every which way, messy but still miraculously soft, and her cheeks and nose were littered with faint freckles he’d never noticed before. Now they seemed so obvious standing out against her pale skin. Everything about her made him question how he’d never noticed that she was a girl back at the Garrison.

            She was…

            _Beautiful._

A sudden wave of determination coursed through him. They would get Pidge’s family back, and if that failed, he would see to it himself, because he decided that he needed her to be happy. He needed her to be at peace, to laugh, to smile.

            He just needed her to be herself again.

            “You’ll find them Pidge, and you’ll see your mom again, just like I’ll see my family again,” Lance said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “I promise.”

            “You can’t promise that.” Pidge grunted.

            Lance shrugged her off with a smug grin. “Oh? Give me one good reason why I can’t?”

            “Because, there’s no way you could possibly know-”

            “Ah bub-bub! Look, I know it’s your go-to, but you can’t rely on science for everything, Pidgeon. Sometimes you gotta trust yourself, and hold onto hope.”

            Pidge scrunched up her nose, some straggling tears still squeezing their way out. “I hate relying on hope.”

            Lance chuckled. “Hope may not always work, but sometimes it pulls through. That’s where miracles come from.”

            “Now you’re just trying to make me mad.”

            Then Lance burst into a fit of uncontrollable giggles as he rubbed her shoulder, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a smile creep its way onto Pidge’s face. “You’re a dork.” She declared, lightly shoving his shoulder.

            “Yeah, but I’m your dork.” Lance remarked.

            Pidge frowned. “Unfortunately.”

            Glad that she was cheered up enough to fall back asleep, Lance gave her one last squeeze on the shoulders and made to get off the bed, when Pidge grabbed his forearm before he could leave. Lance glanced back at her with confusion.

            “Would you… sleep here with me?” Pidge stumbled. “I-I just… I’d feel better if someone were here. I don’t know.”

            Lance smiled. “Sure. Scooch over.”

            She did, pulling back the fluffy green covers so that he could crawl beneath them. He turned so that he was facing her back, his entire body cradling hers. Pidge instantly snuggled into him, gravitating towards the comforting body heat that men naturally seemed to hold. She hummed contentedly and within moments, she was asleep.

            Lance was almost to sleep himself when a thought struck him.

            _Wait a second. How are we going to explain this to the others when morning comes?_

Quiznak, if the others found out they’d be screwed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Pidge discover that they feel most at home when they are with each other

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowe, another chapter, what? I honestly thought I was just going to end it with one chapter, but then I wasn't satisfied enough, and voila chapter two! I hope you enjoy this surprise chapter, and feel free to give kudos!

Pidge had been walking back to her room after a long, exhausting night of work when a harsh squeaking shattered the silence that had been casted upon the ship. She tensed up and gave a yelp, ready to kick whoever’s ass had dared to confront her at this hour, but when she looked down her tired maple eyes fell on two of the space mice at her feet. She groaned with annoyance and scooped them both up in her hands, giving them each a gentle rub on the head.

  
“Don’t scare me like that, you little furballs,” She scolded. They blinked up at her wordlessly with their ruby red eyes, and Pidge wondered what they were thinking. She shrugged and placed the two mice back on the ground, yawned and continued her path to her room.

  
Instantaneously, the mice began to squeak again. This time, Pidge could hear the urgency as she glanced over her shoulder back at the mice. They were crying out in a repeated pattern, almost like an alarm. “Alright, clearly you two came here for a reason,” She said, crouching down to sit on her heels. “So, spill; what’s going on?”

  
The mice nodded and scampered around her ankles, nearly throwing Pidge off balance. They disappeared around the corner at the end of the hallway. They were leading her somewhere. “Hey! Wait up!” She sprinted after them.

  
They seemed to fly through the halls of the castle for hours, until they finally came to a stop in front of the door to the lounge. Pidge eyed the door cautiously. The lights were off inside- she could tell from the window that hovered just above her head. The mice clearly wanted her to go in there, but why…?

  
She heard it then. The sound of panicked heaving. The sniffles and the sobs that broke her heart the minute they penetrated her ears. It was Lance. She realized that the mice wanted her to go in there and help him feel better. But she wasn’t qualified to do this. She barely managed to control her own emotions; how was she expected to handle the feelings of others? Lance’s feelings were far more delicate!

  
She shook her head down at the mice, her heart suddenly pounding, but the mice held onto their blank stare. Pidge scowled. They were definitely guilt tripping her.  
Unfortunately, Pidge had no self control when it came to guilt.

  
She took a step closer to the door, and it hissed open instantly, sensing her movement. “Lance?” She called softly, peering inside.

  
Lance was curled up in the corner cushion of the horseshoe shaped couch, his face covered in tears and snot. His normally clear blue eyes were now bloodshot, and dark circles hung heavy beneath them. He looked like he hadn’t gotten a proper sleep in deca-phoebes.

  
Pidge’s mouth wilted into a subtle frown. Lance wasn’t normally one to skip out on a proper sleep schedule. In fact, he was usually the one that pestered the night owls- her, Shiro and Keith- until the three of them eventually surrendered and went to sleep. He was always there to check on them and make sure they were looking after themselves. Looking at him now, so broken and distraught, it made Pidge wonder when the last time someone had done that for him was.

  
Lance finally poked his head up from his knees and began to hastily wipe away the torrent of tears that evidently weren’t stopping any time soon. “P-Pidge, s-sorry, did I w-wake you? I t-tried to k-keep q-quiet but-” He could barely speak- he was hiccupping between words and kept having to gasp for breath.

  
“Lance, calm down okay,” Pidge said slowly, slipping into the spot next to him and wrapping her arms around his arms as much as she could. He was shaking in her grasp. “You need to breathe.”

  
“O-Ok-ka-”

  
Pidge shushed him, and began to run her hands up and down his arms, from shoulder to elbow. She let him listen to her breathing, waiting patiently as she felt his heartbeat start to slow beneath her skin. Everything was still as Lance took a shuddery breath, the steady waterfall of tears down his cheeks leaving behind dry glistening trails.

  
Lance looked exhausted, and it made Pidge want to wrap her arms around him for a little longer, to hold him tightly and listen to the sounds of his snores and never let go. As for Lance, he was actually glad that the mice had decided to get Pidge instead of Hunk or Shiro. She provided him with a stable ground- a shoulder to lean on- rather than a voice that he tended to ignore almost as much as his own conscience. It seemed that for the both of them, it was just the kind of comfort they needed. A presence.

  
“Pidge?” Lance whispered, sinking into her arms. She was perhaps the boniest pillow that he had ever laid on.

  
She hummed quietly in response, snuggling her head into his neck. Lance smiled feebly. “Thanks for being here.” He murmured.

  
“Y’welcome,” She slurred, seeming to be on the verge of unconsciousness. “Y’know, you can talk to us bout this stuff. You don’ always have to be the cool, collected, confident guy of the team. You’re…” She yawned. “… allowed to have feelings.”

  
“Yeah,” Lance twisted his fingers in her hair. “It’s just… I feel like they don’t get it, ya know? Shiro would just… I dunno, shrug it off as just insomnia or homesickness that can just go away in an instant. Hunk would be the same. Don’t get me wrong, I love the guy, he’s my best bud, but sometimes he just doesn’t get me. Keith… he’d probably make fun of me for being sensitive.”

  
“Keith’s not like that…” Pidge mumbled.

  
“I know, but the guy doesn’t exactly have a family to go home to on Earth. That… sounds kind of harsh when I say it like that, but I think because of that he can be a little inconsiderate when it comes to topics like family. Nobody else gets it like you and I do.”

  
Pidge nodded and lifted herself up from her snuggled position in his side, and propped her chin on his shoulder. “I know what you mean. Before Voltron, I didn’t really have any friends. You know, you were the first one to actually try to be my friend. Anyways, I had a lot of trust issues, and after Kerberos, my family was the only thing that I cared about.”

  
“Really? Hunk and I were your first friends?” Lance asked, blue eyes full of sympathy.

  
Pidge shrugged. “I had my brother.”

  
“Brothers don’t count, Pidge.”

  
“You know, I don’t really care what counts or not.”

  
Lance laughed softly, wrapping an arm around Pidge’s shoulder as she shivered. It was a little chilly in the lounge, and there were no blankets around. “Thanks again, Pidge,” Lance said. “I know you don’t really like to handle this kind of stuff, but I needed this.”

  
“No problem,” Pidge said, her voice muffled. Her head had buried itself into his neck again, her maple eyes struggling to stay open, eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings. “Mmf, do I have to get up now? I’m too comfy to move.”

  
Lance grinned. “Naw, I’m not that mean. Sleep tight, Pigeon.”

  
“… Katie.”

  
Lance’s heart skipped a beat, and he looked down at her sleepy face. “What? Katie?”

  
“S’my name,” She garbled. “My real name. Katie.”

  
_Katie Holt_. Lance had heard Shiro say the name Katie before, but he guessed that during highly stressful missions, he’d failed to connect that name to Pidge. Katie seemed like a far too girly name for someone as badass as the green paladin of Voltron, for someone who hacked computers and had trouble communicating properly, for a girl who had short, unevenly cut boyish hair that went every which way, and big buggy eyed glasses. And yet, somehow, the name still fit. It fit perfectly.

  
“Okay,” Lance nodded. “Katie.”

  
“But only when we’re like this okay? When it’s just you and me?”

  
“Sure. G’night, Katie.”

  
“Night, Tailor.”

-:-:-:-:-

Hunk wasn’t exactly sure what he was expecting when he woke up in the morning. He was a man who just wanted to eat some of his space crepes for breakfast that he’d made the day before in the lounge in peace before the chaos of training with the team began. His ears still hurt from Coran’s constant yells of encouragement coming out way too loudly in the intercom yesterday.

  
But when he got to the lounge, instead of finding it empty, he spotted Lance and Pidge passed out on the couch. Lance was wedged into two cushions in the corner, drool falling gently from his mouth. His head was resting on Pidge’s fluffy hair, his arms wrapped around her head and shoulders loosely. Pidge herself had her face buried in the crook of Lance’s neck, barely visible in his mesh of arms, and was resting comfortably into his left side. It looked slightly awkward, but the two of them didn’t seem to mind.

  
At the sight, Hunk’s face burst into a wide grin. “I knew it, I freaking knew it!” He whispered triumphantly, fist bumping the air.

  
With that, he left his two best friends to their own devices, victory dancing out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *is still dead from cuteness*


End file.
